booknosh: You clearly know the Star Trek universe extremely well. How much of this came from research, and how much from being a Trekkie yourself?

KDA: The first draft came fairly easily using what Star Trek knowledge I already had, but later rewrites, which needed more detail, involved a little research. The chapter names, which were all taken from the names of Star Trek episodes, for example, involved some looking up. I didn’t have many episode names already in my head except for my favorites. It took some digging but not much.

Cut to the Chase: CH: I hate zombies. HATE them. With the exception of Shaun of the Dead, I have loathed every piece of zombie-related media I have ever encountered. If you told me I’d be writing a five-star review of a “zombies at a Star Trek convention” book, I would have laughed (even though I’m a TNG fan). I read it intending to provide a counterpoint to Penguinhegemony’s review. And in a way, I was right: I didn’t like this book. I LOVED it. Anderson pulls you in right from the start, with likable characters and a humorous style. The writing is excellent: Anderson does a great job of building tension, and during some of the more dramatic scenes, I could almost hear a soundtrack in my head. The plot is fast-paced and engaging, the book is a page-turner (I read it in one sitting), and Anderson keeps you intrigued and entertained throughout. You don’t need to be a Star Trek fan to enjoy this, but there are a lot of clever nods to the series throughout, including chapter titles borrowed from episodes of the show. This is the best book I’ve read all year, and I highly recommend it for anyone who enjoys humor, tension, and good writing — even if you hate zombies.

P: I generally like zombie apocalypse stories, but I wouldn’t consider most of them to be something I would recommend. I picked up Night of the Living Trekkies (tag line: “They thought space was the final frontier. They were wrong.”) thinking that it would a fun book to make fun of with a ridiculous, easily dismissible premise: zombies at a Star Trek convention. As I read it, I had the growing realization that it was, to my horror, actually really good. It solves most of the issues I have with the genre at large: the plot is fun and unpredictable, the characters are well developed and likeable, and the environment is interesting and believable. Surprisingly, I have to heartily recommend Night of the Living Trekkies as a well developed, action packed read and not just yet another forgettable zombie thriller.Read more ›